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Hagerstown Community College is considering raising tuition for county, out-of-county and out-of-state students, President Guy Altieri said at Tuesday's Washington County Commissioners meeting. Anna Barker, dean of administrative services, said after the meeting that the rate increase of approximately 3 percent would take effect next semester. College officials have not yet taken the tuition hike request before the board of trustees, she said. If approved, rates for Washington County residents would increase by $2 per credit hour, from $86 per credit hour to $88 per credit hour, Barker said.

University System of Maryland at Hagerstown 32 W. Washington St., Hagerstown Phone number: 240-527-2060 Web address: www.hagerstown.usmd.edu The University System of Maryland at Hagerstown is adding several new degree options this year. Frostburg State University will offer a bachelor's degree in early childhood education in the fall, and bachelor's and master's degrees in social work will be available from Salisbury University. University of Maryland University College will offer a bachelor's degree in investigative forensics, and Towson University will add a master's in nursing to its current bachelor's in nursing offering.

University System of Maryland at Hagerstown 32 W. Washington St. Hagerstown Main phone number: 240-527-2060. Web site: http://hagerstown.usmd.edu The University System of Maryland at Hagerstown opened for students in January 2005. Students can complete bachelor's degrees and earn master's degrees in a variety of programs offered by universities at the University System facility in the former Baldwin House complex at 32 W. Washington St. in downtown Hagerstown.

A new state law will lower tuitions for Hagerstown Community College students who live outside Washington County, President Norman Shea said Friday. The law reduces the rate of tuition community colleges must charge out-of-state and out-of-county students, he said. The law, and the new rates, take effect July 1, he said. Out-of-state enrollment has dropped from 650 students to 448 in three years, Shea said. That was because under existing law the college could not reduce tuition for those students and remain competitive, he said.

HCC fees hold steady, other rise By JOSH POLTILOVE / Staff Writer Of 14 colleges polled in four states, Hagerstown Community College is the only school not raising tuition for the coming academic year. Instead, HCC's tuition for students from out of the county and from out of state has dropped. HCC's tuition for students who live in Washington County will remain the same for the fourth straight year. continued HCC will maintain its in-county rates at $70 a credit hour, about $2,100 for two semesters for students taking 15-credit course loads.

Local colleges are keeping tuition from rising for in-county residents, but out-of-county and out-of-state residents will pay more for their schooling in the coming academic year. [cont. from front page ] Hagerstown and Frederick community colleges will maintain their in-county rates at $70 per credit hour, which typically translates to $2100 for two semesters. Fees for the two colleges, in addition to tuition, would be about $154 at HCC and $268 at FCC per year (based on 15-credit-hour semesters)

Hagerstown Junior College on Tuesday passed a $13.6 million budget that increases tuition for out-of-state and out-of-county students but holds the line on tuition for Washington County residents. The budget also includes a 4 percent pay increase for all staff. The college's Board of Trustees tentatively approved the budget in January, before the college knew how much money it would receive from the Washington County Commissioners. The college asked the commissioners for $4.20 million and received $4.16 million.

By KERRY LYNN FRALEY Staff Writer A 3 percent raise for all Hagerstown Junior College employees was included in the nearly $12.7 million budget approved by the college's Board of Trustees on Tuesday afternoon, according to college officials. The 1997-98 budget - about 4 percent more than last year's budget - includes nearly $9.9 million for employee salaries and benefits. A $3 per credit hour tuition hike was factored into the budget, said HJC Comptroller Arthur Barnhart.

The Shepherd University Board of Governors approved tuition increases for the fall semester at its meeting Thursday. In-state undergraduate tuition will rise by $211 per semester, from $2,917 to $3,128, and $352 per semester for out-of-state students, from $7,568 to $7,920. In-state graduate tuition will increase $31 per credit hour for in-state students, from $351 to $382, and $44 per credit hour for out-of-state students, from $498 to $542. “In our financial deliberations, we took great care to protect affordability and student access to higher education,” said Shepherd University President Suzanne Shipley said.

University System of Maryland at Hagerstown 32 W. Washington St., Hagerstown The main phone number for the campus is 240-527-2060. The University System of Maryland at Hagerstown opened in January. Students can complete bachelor's degrees and earn master's degrees in a variety of programs offered by three universities at the center in the former Baldwin House complex in downtown Hagerstown. Classes are offered nights and weekends by the University of Maryland Baltimore, the University of Maryland University College and Frostburg State University.

The Shepherd University Board of Governors approved tuition increases for the fall semester at its meeting Thursday. In-state undergraduate tuition will rise by $211 per semester, from $2,917 to $3,128, and $352 per semester for out-of-state students, from $7,568 to $7,920. In-state graduate tuition will increase $31 per credit hour for in-state students, from $351 to $382, and $44 per credit hour for out-of-state students, from $498 to $542. “In our financial deliberations, we took great care to protect affordability and student access to higher education,” said Shepherd University President Suzanne Shipley said.

Freshmen entering Shepherd University for the first time this fall will only need 120 credit hours to graduate instead of the 128 currently required, making the college the statewide leader in putting the new policy in effect. "This might sound little, but it's really big news. It represents about two years work by our faculty," Shepherd President Suzanne Shipley said. Not only will the reduction in credit hours make it quicker and less expensive to earn a bachelor's degree, more importantly it will benefit students academically, Shipley said.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. --Â There are times in life when everything seems to fall into place. This is one such time for Suzanne Shipley, now in her third year as president of Shepherd University. She is the school's 15th president since its founding in 1872. Classes for the fall semester start Monday.Â Shepherd was the only public institution of higher learning in West Virginia recently named to the national Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), an honor for which Shepherd applied two years ago, Shipley said.

Baby sitter training offered by Red Cross The Washington County Chapter of the American Red Cross, at 1131 Conrad Court in Hagerstown, will hold a baby sitter boot camp course Dec. 29 to 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The three-day course costs $100. Financial Aid is available. Space is Limited. Participants are asked to bring a bag lunch. The purpose of the course is to provide individuals, ages 11 to 15, with the information and skills necessary to provide safe and responsible care for children in the absence of parents or adult guardians.

University System of Maryland at Hagerstown 32 W. Washington St., Hagerstown Phone number: 240-527-2060 Web address: www.hagerstown.usmd.edu The University System of Maryland at Hagerstown is adding several new degree options this year. Frostburg State University will offer a bachelor's degree in early childhood education in the fall, and bachelor's and master's degrees in social work will be available from Salisbury University. University of Maryland University College will offer a bachelor's degree in investigative forensics, and Towson University will add a master's in nursing to its current bachelor's in nursing offering.

University System of Maryland at Hagerstown 32 W. Washington St. Hagerstown Main phone number: 240-527-2060. Web site: http://hagerstown.usmd.edu The University System of Maryland at Hagerstown opened for students in January 2005. Students can complete bachelor's degrees and earn master's degrees in a variety of programs offered by universities at the University System facility in the former Baldwin House complex at 32 W. Washington St. in downtown Hagerstown.

Hagerstown Community College's Board of Trustees on Tuesday unanimously approved a $23.9 million budget for 2007 at its regular monthly meeting. The budget, effective July 1, is 11 percent higher than last year's budget of $21.5 million. It also is slightly more than the $23.6 million budget that HCC President Guy Altieri presented to the Washington County Commissioners in March. Board President Merle Elliott said this year's budget, contained in a 207-page document, was the most comprehensive he has seen in years.

HAGERSTOWN tiffanya@herald-mail.com Hagerstown Community College's Board of Trustees agreed Tuesday to cut the school's operating budget by $325,178. Anna Barker, HCC's vice president of administration and finance, recommended the 1.5 percent cut in the school's $21.9 million operating budget at the board's regular monthly meeting. "That sounds like it might be a lot of money, but when you look at the actual percentage, it wouldn't make a big impact," Barker said in a telephone interview.

University System of Maryland at Hagerstown 32 W. Washington St., Hagerstown The main phone number for the campus is 240-527-2060. The University System of Maryland at Hagerstown opened in January. Students can complete bachelor's degrees and earn master's degrees in a variety of programs offered by three universities at the center in the former Baldwin House complex in downtown Hagerstown. Classes are offered nights and weekends by the University of Maryland Baltimore, the University of Maryland University College and Frostburg State University.

adamb@herald-mail.com An increase in college tuition is something parents and students can count on happening every year. However, no extraordinary tuition increases have occurred this year at colleges and universities in the Tri-state area. "Tuition is bound to increase some as inflation occurs in the economy," said Ron Shunk, director of financial aid at Hood College in Frederick, Md. "I don't know if there's ever a year when tuition doesn't increase. " He said tuition increases in private higher education have averaged 2 percent to 3 percent over the past five years.